For the first time in over ten years, I carved a pumpkin for Halloween. I was returning from a hard day’s work of singing and dancing with children when a crop of pumpkins caught my eye. The big fat orange pumpkins were unfortunately on short supply (it was the evening of the 31st afterall) but I couldn’t say no to a squat yellow fellow with a thick skin and a flat side. To go with the pumpkin, I threw a bag full of gummi bears and a bottle of beer into the fray, then got home. Jan and I gathered our creative juices and carved a big ol’ smile outta that bucket full of seeds.

“Schlachtefest”. The Slaughter Festival. Images of farmers taking large knives to the throats of oversized pigs peppered my thoughts. I could almost hear the fresh roasting sizzle of the slabs of pork. I was in the small East German town of Lübbenau during a recent excapade through the German state of Brandenburg. The town sits in a beautifully forested area I was hoping would be ripe with the colors of autumn. A wet and warm season lead to a rather dissapointing foliage but the town still retained its charm.

“Yeah, I know him. He’s in my physics class.” — Aaron Ross

“I could pick him out of a lineup, but I don’t think anyone would say they just hang out with kickers,” said Texas offensive lineman Justin Blalock.

“I played pool with him once,” said receiver Limas Sweed.

“I’ve seen him at practice,” said devensive end Tim Crowder.

Asked if Bailey was on the team last year, Coach Brown said, “I don’t know.”

Two weeks vacation. TWO WEEKS! And work only started up in the beginning of September! Is it the European system? or the perks of “academia”? (Kindergarten surely falls into the upper echelons of education.) As the German saying goes—It’s sausage to me: I got out there with my empty pocketbook and threw my weight around.

I’m still going to post this picture. And I’m still gonna laugh.

Big Tex:

I’ve got my vaseline (to rub under my armpits and in between my legs). I’ve got my band-aids (to tape up my nipples). I’ve got my pound of bananas (the miracle food). I’ve got my liquified carbohydrates (they are supposed to taste like “tropical fruit”. They taste more like liquid carbohydrates). The Berlin Marathon is upon us boys and girls… I can smell its mustiness from here. 9 AM start, Sunday morning, and I’ll be in line to hear the gun go off.

Shout to my Freshman roomate Brian. He’s getting married to the beautiful Christie. Congratulations y’all! Here’s to you! I’m sorry to have to miss the big day man. Damn oceans. Have a great celebration and tell the bridesmaids (and any sisters) I said hey!

Three weeks lost in the wilderness of Eastern Europe will hopefully pose as a decent excuse for my recent absences. Email replies are forthcoming in short. Sorry for my concommunicativeness as of late but I think I spent a total of about 2 hours in front of a computer during the travels.

1 Rowboat

2 airmatresses

3 beautiful girls

5 meters of rope

20 beers

OK Macgyver, what do you do with such an ensemble? I think the answer is rather obvious: turn it into the good life…

Decrepit. Ignored. It’s reverent majesty still demanded respect. Walking through the narrow cobblestoned streets of Vilnius, we spotted the steeple of an 18th century church towering over a weed infested parking lot. Its off-the-beaten-path nature lured us in.

Wedding ceremonies everywhere. If you’re planning on visiting Vilnius on a Friday or Saturday afternoon hoping to take a tour through its overwhelming collection of imposing churches, forget it. Weddings are going on one after the other. Throughout the entire city. If, on the other hand, you are planning a visit to Vilnius on a Friday or Saturday hoping to meet a very attractive bridesmaid suffering through that post-marital bliss/lonesomeness (you know who you are), you’ll be happier than a pig in dirt.